Description
Cumin is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum Cyminum, and is a member of the Carrot or Parsley family. It is likely to have been originated in Central Asia, Southwestern Asia, or the Eastern Mediterranean. Cumin is the second most popular spice in the world.
The cumin plant grows to 30–50 cm tall and is harvested by hand. Cumin is a drought-tolerant, tropical, or subtropical crop. The optimum growth temperature ranges are between 25 and 30° C. The Mediterranean climate is most suitable for its growth. It is an annual herbaceous plant. Each branch has two to three subbranches. The stem is coloured grey or dark green. The flowers are white or rose coloured and grows in small umbels. Each umbel has five to seven umbellets. The fruit is harvested about 120 days after planting it. Once harvested, the seeds are dried.
Cultivation of cumin requires a long, hot summer of three to four months. At low temperatures, leaf colour changes from green to purple. High temperature might reduce growth period and induce early ripening. India is the world’s largest producer of cumin. The other major producing countries are Syria, Turkey, UAE, and Iran. Some of the other names of cumin are jeera, zira, jeeru, jeeriege, zyur, jeerakam, jiraka, jira, ziragum, jeeragam, comino, kammun, comino, cominho, kmin and machin.
